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dakillerfishy
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Okay, so I have two questions, both pertaining to the Compton Effect.
Evaluate the maximum kinetic energy for a recoiling electron that is struck by a photon with momentum 0.04MeV/c
Maximum Kinetic energy: E[tex]_{k}[/tex] = [tex]\frac{hf}{1 + (mc^{2}/2hf}[/tex]
Compton wavelength of an electron: h/mc = .00243 nm
Compton's equation: [tex]\lambda[/tex]2 - [tex]\lambda[/tex]1 = (h/mc)(1-cos[tex]\theta[/tex])
I tried to rearrange the above maximum kinetic energy and solve for f using the quadratic formula, but then I realized that the mass of the photon was close to zero and got worried because I'd end up dividing by zero.
Also:
The maximum kinetic energy given to the electron in a Compton scattering event plays a role in the measurement of gamma-ray spectra using scintillation detectors. The maximum is referred to as the Compton edge. Suppose the Compton edge in a particular experiment is found to be 520 keV. What were the wavelength and energy of the incident gamma rays?
See above question
Since we know the maximum kinetic energy, I tried to plug that into the above equation, but ran into the same divide-by-zero problem.
Thanks in advance!
Homework Statement
Evaluate the maximum kinetic energy for a recoiling electron that is struck by a photon with momentum 0.04MeV/c
Homework Equations
Maximum Kinetic energy: E[tex]_{k}[/tex] = [tex]\frac{hf}{1 + (mc^{2}/2hf}[/tex]
Compton wavelength of an electron: h/mc = .00243 nm
Compton's equation: [tex]\lambda[/tex]2 - [tex]\lambda[/tex]1 = (h/mc)(1-cos[tex]\theta[/tex])
The Attempt at a Solution
I tried to rearrange the above maximum kinetic energy and solve for f using the quadratic formula, but then I realized that the mass of the photon was close to zero and got worried because I'd end up dividing by zero.
Also:
Homework Statement
The maximum kinetic energy given to the electron in a Compton scattering event plays a role in the measurement of gamma-ray spectra using scintillation detectors. The maximum is referred to as the Compton edge. Suppose the Compton edge in a particular experiment is found to be 520 keV. What were the wavelength and energy of the incident gamma rays?
Homework Equations
See above question
The Attempt at a Solution
Since we know the maximum kinetic energy, I tried to plug that into the above equation, but ran into the same divide-by-zero problem.
Thanks in advance!
Last edited: